Actress Lindsay Wagner is in Toronto to present a three-day healing workshop at Fife House aimed at people living with HIV/AIDS.

Actress Lindsay Wagner is in Toronto presenting a healing workshop at Fife House, Canada's largest provider of housing and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

By:Isabel TeotonioLife Reporter, Published on Fri Jul 13 2012

Growing up in a home plagued by domestic violence, Lindsay Wagner internalized her pain and didn’t speak about the abuse. She rarely cried. And there was much to cry about.

By age 19, the budding actress was suffering from a severe case of ulcers. The pain, she says, was “eating its way out of my stomach.”

Slated to undergo surgery, Wagner had the great fortune, and “blessing,” of being introduced to a doctor and minister who approached her care in a holistic manner. After six weeks of fasting, visualization and meditation, combined with prayer, the ulcers had disappeared.

“It was just such a profound experience for me that I wanted to learn more and it began a life of study for me,” recalls the 63-year-old actress in a recent telephone interview. “My whole life I’ve been studying this. It’s been my real passion.”

Many remember Wagner as one of the most popular TV stars during the 1970s, particularly her Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Jaime Sommers as the Bionic Woman. But her real passion, nurtured by more than four decades of studying with doctors, scientists, healers and spiritual leaders from around the world, lies in the holistic healing of mind, body and soul.

One of the greatest lessons Wagner has learned is that her perspective of a situation actually caused more suffering than the situation itself. But once she shifted her perspective, the experience of what she was going through changed.

“Our experience of many life circumstances is a function of our personal perspective and not the circumstance itself,” says Wagner, who in recent years has gained attention for her healing workshops.

Wagner is currently in Toronto presenting a three-day experiential workshop to people living with HIV/AIDS. The workshop, called “Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart,” is in collaboration with Fife House, Canada’s largest provider of supportive residential programming and housing services for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Wagner has presented in various countries, such as Canada, the United States, Mexico, England and Ireland, but this is the first time that she is doing a workshop in Toronto. Twenty of Fife House’s clients — men and women who range in age — are participating in the event, which wraps up on Saturday.

Wagner says the techniques used can be applied to any life circumstance, but this is the first time she is presenting to people living with HIV/AIDS. Participants share what they’re going through and what is painful to them, with the aim of dislodging any negative energy that is attached.

One participant, who asked not be identified, said the workshop helped release hurtful feelings lingering since a dispute with her daughter many months ago. The woman, who’s in her 60s, said bottled up her emotions, were causing much stress and physical strain.

After speaking at the workshop about their quarrel, she realized she needed to change her perspective of how she was handling the situation.

“That night I went home and called my daughter,” said the woman, who is in her 60s. “I feel so light, like a load has been taken off of me.”

The workshop was a natural fit for Fife House, which also strives to enhance the spiritual health and well-being of its clients, says executive director Keith Hambly. Similar events for those suffering with chronic health issues have been shown to alleviate anxiety, depression and improve their outlook, he said.

“HIV is an incredible burden on an individual, whether they’re newly diagnosed or have been surviving for many, many years,” says Hambly.

“This is a disease that people live with constantly and it has impacts on them, both physically and emotionally. (This) is an opportunity for them to release themselves of some of the burden of this and to take away techniques and exercises that they can do at home to carry on the benefits of the workshop.”

A Fife House volunteer, who had attended Wagner’s workshops in the past, suggested to Hambly that Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart would benefit the clients.

Fife House has 190 units serving 200 residents, and supports an additional 400 clients through its Homeless Outreach Program. In the GTA, there are about 18,000 people knowingly living with HIV/AIDS, representing about a quarter of all Canadian cases.

During an information session about the event, only a handful of attendees even knew of Wagner’s acting work, says Hambly.

“The strength of their enthusiasm was based on the work that she’s currently doing,” he says. “They recognize the value of these kinds of workshops and wellness workshops.”

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